Unfinished Business
by Stray Jaguar
Summary: A war between vampires and demonkind is on the horizon, and Bella finds herself stuck in the middle. Between three suitors, a crazy ghost, and a cursed jewel, things just aren't going her way... AU, Edward/Bella
1. The Game Masters

**.:: ONE ::.**

**the game masters**

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The stench of blood and death was twisting his stomach in irreversible knots, though Sesshomaru was careful to keep his expression locked in a faultless mask of indifference. Centuries of practice allowed him to traverse the corridors of the medieval cathedral with relative ease. He had visited the Volturi far too often to be intimidated by their dark home, if it could indeed be referred to as such.

There were no less than three vampires tracking his movement. He paid them no mind. A demon's blood -- especially blood of the poisonous variety, such as his -- did little to sustain vampires. It lacked basic nutrients and chemicals the bloodsuckers needed to survive. His blood in particular was corrosive to the arteries. Left unattended, it would eventually fester and eat through their marble flesh.

Indeed, Sesshomaru was in no danger of becoming vampire food.

Still, Aro was quick to anger. Just because Sesshomaru would not make a good meal did not mean there was no target painted on his back. Too many assassination attempts over the years had taught him to never let his guard down where the king of vampires was involved.

He arrived at the great doors to the throne room faster than anticipated. They opened before he had the chance to make any last-minute assessments of the situation, and the trio of guards who had been following him suddenly vanished. Feeling slightly comforted, the demon squared his shoulders and sauntered forward.

"Lord Sesshomaru, a pleasure as always," the purring tenor of Aro greeted him.

He dipped his head in return, rumbling, "Aro, Marcus... Caius."

The three _de facto_ members of vampire royalty stared at him with blood red eyes from their respective thrones, showing no physical differences from the first day they met. He was morbidly pleased to see they had recently eaten; Caius was almost tolerable after a meal, and Aro's manipulations were easier to deal with.

"My, how time flies," Aro continued, oblivious to Sesshomaru's thoughts. "Has a decade already passed us by?"

"I believe the last time we spoke was at the turn of the millennium," he replied.

"You've cut off all that gorgeous hair." The vampire's tone suggested it was a sin.

"Akira Tanaka died in a plane crash two years ago," Sesshomaru said by way of explanation.

It always amused him, how they could speak and exchange pleasantries as though they did not regularly attempt to kill one another. It was almost a running joke -- two immortal beings trying half-heartedly to rid the world of the other. The vampires were dying, quite literally, for access to Japan. Sesshomaru was one of the few obstacles standing in their way.

"You could always join us here, in Volterra. Changing identities every few decades must grow tiresome. Meals are delivered regularly."

The only thing worse than assassination attempts was Aro's ploys to make him sympathetic to their lifestyle. He was convinced Sesshomaru would make an invaluable addition to their cause. What the bloodsucker failed to realize, however, was that Sesshomaru answered to no one -- especially not undead humans.

"Do not waste your breath, Aro," the demon smirked. "I wish to live here no more than you wish to walk the streets in broad daylight."

"Yes, well," the vampire's tone lowered an octave, "let's get down to business, shall we?"

"Agreed."

For the next six hours, they discussed treaty disputes. A rogue pack of _okami_ -- wolf demons, to Caius' great displeasure -- was running rampant through Rome, causing the city a great amount of distress. As per their agreement, it was Sesshomaru's responsibility to dispose of them. European humans were not to be shared.

A coven of fledgling vampires had taken up residence in Osaka two years ago. Marcus was annoyed with Sesshomaru's younger brother, who saw fit to execute the whole lot of them instead of waiting for the Volturi to take care of the situation. Sesshomaru argued it was well within his rights per the treaty to dispatch any trespassers, fledgling or not. Caius countered by saying vampires rarely slaughtered infant demons, but his statement was quickly disputed; demonkind was unlikely to forget the Berlin Incident in the foreseeable future.

Next on the agenda were negotiations over Russia's _zapovednik_, a famous nature reserve. Sesshomaru failed to see what vampires could possibly want with a human-free wildlife zone, but Aro was quick to point out it made the perfect hiding place. Caius' only concern was, of course, the werewolves who called the _zapovednik_ home.

In the end, Sesshomaru retained possession of the reserve -- as well as the creatures within it.


	2. Awkward Swans

**.:: TWO ::.**

**awkward swans**

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Charlie Swan was an introspective man. He liked to keep things simple and quiet. It was one of the many reasons why his home was the small, rainy town of Forks. His no-nonsense nature also made him a capable Chief of Police. Inwardly, Charlie also took pride in his observational skills; he noticed more than his teenage daughter gave him credit for. Being thickskulled was not conductive to the safety of his town, after all.

He watched from the window as she climbed out of the old Chevy truck. Something unpleasant had happened today; her stride was a bit longer, shoulders hunched, and the only time Bella watched the ground instead of looking straight ahead was when she obsessed over something.

It was obvious Forks was one of the last places she wanted to live, but they were making the best of the situation. Despite playing the martyr, whatever was upsetting Bella now had nothing to do with Charlie.

He turned away from the window as she approached the front door. They were two peas in a pod, undeniably father and daughter -- Bella was every bit as inverted as him. If she decided to talk about, he would listen, but for now it was best to act as though nothing were amiss.

"Hey, Bells," he greeted her as she walked through the door. "How was the first day?"

"Fine," she said. He could tell she was lying.

It pained him to see his daughter act like a guest in her own home. Charlie watched as she toed off her tennis shoes before fully entering the house. Her books were carefully placed on an out-of-the-way countertop. She went straight upstairs with her backpack.

If it wasn't for the fact Bella cooked their meals, Charlie would have sworn he lived alone.

Two hours passed before his daughter descended the stairs again. Her eyes, so much like his own, did not even glance in his direction as she made a beeline for the kitchen. He rose from the couch, turned off the television, and decided to join her in preparing dinner.

"What are we having tonight?"

She looked at him as if he had grown a second head. "...Did you have something in mind, Dad?"

Charlie shrugged. "No. Just trying to make conversation. Do you need any help?"

It was difficult to decide if he should be amused or worried by the look she was giving him. She averted her gaze long enough to remove her plain brown sweatshirt.

Something fell out of her pocket. Charlie bent down to pick it up just as she reached for it. They both pulled away, staring at one another, before he scooped it up.

"What's this?" he asked.

"A piece of quartz or something," Bella answered. "I found it in the truck."

Charlie frowned. Apparently, Billy had missed a few things while cleaning. He held the tiny sliver up to the light and rotated it slowly between his fingers. The surface glinted and glittered, shifting from pale amethyst to deep sapphire.

"I don't think it's quartz," he said before giving the shard back to her.

The rest of the night passed in silence.


End file.
